Something confusing/bad about the new Boulevards

I think Britax made a big big mistake on this one. Like, recall worthy mistake.

They have a new type of tether in the BV. It's stitched together in spots that are designed to rip in a crash. When those spots rip, the tether releases just a tiny bit. It says in the manual that these are designed to let you know when to replace a seat.

It says that if the label is intact and the red stitching is visible, that a seat does NOT need to be replaced. If the stitching is torn or the label is broken, the seat DOES need to be replaced.

But, that's on the TETHER.

So basically someone can be in a horrific crash with a RF or untethered FF seat, and the stitching on the tether obviously won't break. So the manual says it's okay to reuse, because the stitching isn't broken.

Exact wording:

The tether has been designed to indicate with the child restraint has been in a severe crash and replacement of the child restraint is necessary.

Figure A shows the tether when the child restraint is acceptable for continued use. The colored sticthing will be intact and the webbing will be held under a tether label.

Figure B shows the tether when the child restraint is unacceptable for continued use. The colored stitching will be broken and the loops will have pulled through the back side of the shell. The tether label may also be torn. If this condition occurs, discontinue use of the child restraint and contact Britax customer service for further instruction.

You can also see it on page 14 here, of the new Boulevard user manual.
http://www.britaxusa.net/support/documents/P276100_R1_Blvd.pdf

So someone is going to be in a bad wreck, and keep reusing this seat, because the manual tells them it is okay to reuse as long as the tether isn't ripped. Nice.

To me, that seems like a SERIOUS case of bad bad information. I can think of lots of very severe crashes where the tether won't rip.

I really do not like the new Boulevards. I almost want to sell them both. I wish Britax would just repair mine instead of replacing them with these.

Anyone know where I can get a box big enough to ship a Boulevard in? They told me I could ship the old ones back in whatever box I wanted to, and keep the BV box. Well if I am going to sell the things, I want the original box.

This makes me sad. I love our Boulevards. I do not love these new Boulevard imposters.

Hmm....

That is strange. You are right that the wording could potentially lead to serious misuse.

My, my. They certainly have made some changes to the BV manual!! I didn't evern recognize it as the BV manual!

That's another thing... what if you have an old Boulevard? This is listed as the only Boulevard manual, not Boulevard 2007-present and Boulevard 2005-2006, which would be more accurate. Because there are big differences between this seat and my old ones. The things in the manual for this seat would not necessarily apply to my old seats. Most of it is the same, but there are some differences. It would be nice if they kept the old manual and then included this new one, dating each one.

Splash said:

That's another thing... what if you have an old Boulevard? This is listed as the only Boulevard manual, not Boulevard 2007-present and Boulevard 2005-2006, which would be more accurate. Because there are big differences between this seat and my old ones. The things in the manual for this seat would not necessarily apply to my old seats. Most of it is the same, but there are some differences. It would be nice if they kept the old manual and then included this new one, dating each one.

Click to expand...

You're right. While most of the information is the same, there are some significant differences (like the tether!!!!!). You are right-- BOTH manuals should be linked. I'll try to call Britax next week to point that out to them.

There are A LOT more red boxes in the new manual with "WARNING" or "CAUTION" messages. I don't think the older BV manuals have that many red boxes. I will have to check. It is too cold to go outside to check right now, though.

This may be a stupid question, but what do the "FPO" boxes mean? There are a few of them on the photos of the seatbelt installation...

Splash:

re: box big enough to ship...

Uhaul has a box that I think is big enough, about $5.00, called a dishbarrel box. I have a BG that was shipped in it, plenty of extra room.

When I shipped my safeguard back, I was able to get a pillow box from where I work. Measure the blvd to see the minimum heights you'd need and call any local department store. Domestics should have larger boxes that pillows, comforters, etc, shipped to the store. They just compact them, so they should be able to get you a box to fit your needs for free.

Drive around behind Target/Walmart/etc and get one of their boxes from the discard pile and tape it back together. We've done this numerous times when shipping large items...

Too bad, I just trashed a DC box (a friend bought one and left the box at my house) last week. It had been in the baby crib for weeks and started bugging me...

If you still need one when you try the RN I may have another one. Another friend is buying one in the next week, I think.

I think that I also saw that same stitching and message on the Uptown. I gave it away so can't check, but that's the only new seat I think I've seen lately and I definitely saw that somewhere. Maybe someone can check.

gwenvet said:

I think that I also saw that same stitching and message on the Uptown.

Click to expand...

Wonder if this is a "new" thing they'll all do now? If so, they should word is so that there's a series of things to check after an accident rather than making is sound like all is okay if the tether strap is okay...

So Australian tethering is o.k. again? Now I'll have to look at my new BV when I go out there.

FPO=For Placement Only

Us Graphic Designers sometimes have to use stock images or something random to fill a space until the correct images come along. It helps us better visualize the design than staring at white space

shellebelle said:

FPO=For Placement Only

Us Graphic Designers sometimes have to use stock images or something random to fill a space until the correct images come along. It helps us better visualize the design than staring at white space

Click to expand...

Got it! Thanks!

Nope nothing on uptown at i could find on the strap or in the manual...

When I was just deciding to buy a MA or a DC or a repl Boulevard I read the manuals online (not BV though because I have that seat) and I saw the same thing in the MA manual. I thought the same things as you.